Son of Superman 2:Becoming a Hero
by supersdude
Summary: Sequel to Son of Superman Life has seemingly calmed down during the summer days.No more meteor freaks or villains have appeared, but how long can it last?With Darkseid's son planning his revenge will Dave have to truly accept his destiny as a future hero?
1. Summer

Standing in an open cornfield drenched in sweat, Dave wiped a hand across his forehead. Today was one of those sunny summer days that the wind decided not to blow by and cool him down. Of course today would be the day he had to put up a new fence border around the Kent Farm, not that it was much to complain about. Within a few seconds Dave had already placed half of the stakes and his work was half done.

Leaning on a post he had just placed into the ground; he took off his shirt, wiping his forehead once more with it, and tossed it away. Growing up in Metropolis he never experienced the full heat of a Midwest summer. In general he had spent his days in the city or in an air conditioned room. Needless to say, as much as the sun blessed him, he wasn't appreciating the sweat it was causing him.

"Hey I'm sure Cassie loves the view but can you put a shirt on?" asked a voice from behind Dave. Turning around, he saw the familiar faces of Kyle and Cassandra. Over the past year, Kyle had grown to be one of Dave's best friends. Originally he had seen the son of the green lantern as a rival, especially as he was vying for Colleen's affection at the time. Once it came out that Kyle was also a gifted individual, they quickly formed a team that eventually translated into a close friendship.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from you two?" Dave questioned, dusting his hands on his pants.. "And I prefer my shirt off by the way." He added with a cheeky grin, causing Kyle to roll his eyes.

"We're heading to the lake and you're coming" Cassie said very matter-of-factly, pointing to the beach bag she held. Cassandra Sandsmark was a completely different case then the rest of them. When she had arrived on the scene it was during their battle against the army of Darkseid. Dave didn't know if he was taken back more by her attitude and strength or her looks. Gifted with the abilities of Wonder Woman, there were times when Dave thought she could beat him. She was certainly more experienced in the art of being a hero.

It had been a month since the events of the battle with Darkseid. As with every international crisis, the Justice League handled everything properly but Dave was not part of that process. After finishing school, his parents had decided that it was best if spent the summer in Smallville as well. Obviously some people might have seen him in the battle against Darkseid, and they thought it was appropriate for him to avoid any chance of being recognized. Despite his disagreement, the young man obeyed and returned to his room at his grandma's house.

As for the little team they had assembled, they had gone their separate ways for the most part. They were still teenagers after all. Robin was still living in Gotham under the tutelage of the Batman. Starfire returned to her travels around the world, while Terra disappeared to wherever she goes. Cassandra had moved to Smallville, though she patrolled Metropolis for the most part while Kyle and Dave continued to 'watch' over Smallville.

"Sounds like a plan" Dave said happy to have an excuse for leaving his work. He knew this knew fence idea was more his father's than Grandma Kent's anyway. "Just let me change," in an instance Dave sped away towards the Kent house and returned wearing his swimming trunks and holding a beach towel. "Okay, let's go."

"Should I carry you?" asked Cassie seriously, which caused Kyle to break out in laughter.

"I can run" replied Dave glaring at Kyle. Ever since Cassie moved in Dave felt even more outcast in not being able to fly. He knew Cassie only meant good intentions but having Kyle around never helped the situation and Cassie ended up doing more harm than good; to his ego at least.

"See you there then speedy" Kyle joked as his body became covered in a green aura and he took off. Grumbling as Cassie gave him a kiss on the cheek, Dave waited until they were on their way to speed off. Luckily, he had come to know the area around Smallville pretty well; especially having gone to the lake as a child with his parents. He arrived at the lake within a matter of minutes.

"Wow, a little crowded" he commented as he looked over the beach. It was filled with adults and teenagers alike. Smallville obviously wasn't a place with tons of attractions to visit, so in the summer time the hangouts were you could find teens were pretty typical. As he glanced around Dave realized Cassie and Kyle had not yet arrived. A grin crossed his features as he got some satisfaction. Who said you needed to know how to fly! Walking over to the snack bar and ordered a vanilla ice cream, he figured he had some time to waste.

"You know you're going to share that right" came Cassie's voice, right next to his ear. Startled, he jumped slightly almost dropping his ice cream cone, causing Cassie to giggle.

"Where's Kyle?" Dave asked after gathering himself.

"In the water, he couldn't wait" Cassie replied. "I went searching for you and instead I found something better." Grinning she took a lick of the ice cream as Dave gave her a mock angered look. He found that it was fairly hard to be actually angry with the blonde haired girl.

"Hey babe!" called a voice from behind Dave. He didn't have to turn around to see the owner of the voice as a the person soon walked past him; shoving him over in the process to stand next to Cassie.

Cassie practically burned a hole in the man as she moved to help Dave up. "Can I help you?" he asked as he dusted the sand off of him.

"No, but she can. Now why don't you go scurry off little man" said the jock. From what Dave could see he was the typical beach jock. Tan, around six feet tall, muscular, gelled hair, and the attitude that said 'I own the beach and can get every girl on it'.

Now Dave wasn't going to take offense to the little man comment but then the man added a slight push as if telling him to leave. Sense told him to walk away and let Cassandra deal with this clown. However, a slight crowd had already started to grow and he couldn't just be shown up by this beach jock. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Dave turned the man to face him.

"Do you really want to do this little man?" asked the jock in a threatening voice and putting his hands up. The crowd probably thought Dave was crazy because this jock was considerably bigger than him. Of course the crowd didn't know he was the son of Clark Kent.

"Trust me you don't want me to" Dave replied. The jock curled his fist as if ready to punch him square in the face when an outside interference came.

"Whoa, whoa! Break it up" said a man as he came running over. Standing between the two of them, Dave assumed he was some sort of authority. "Brody back off, or you'll have more than this kid on your hands" he threatened. The jock known as Brody seemed to hesitate before walking off in a furry. "Hey man, don't worry about him he's all talk, most of the time" said the man, turning back to face Dave and Cassie

"Thanks…"

"Jan"

"Well thanks Jan. I'm David Kent, and this is Cassandra" Dave introduced offering his hand which Jan shook.

"If you ever need anything, just let me know" Jan said. "I'm always around. These guys are just a bunch of over inflated egos"

"I'll be sure to remember that" Dave replied laughing lightly as they began walking towards their spot on the beach.

"I could've taken care of myself if anything went wrong" Cassie said. He had come to notice that she had a habit of reminding him that she could handle herself whenever he intervened in a situation. She never got mad at him for helping out as she knew his intentions were good, but always she would remind him that she was super powered as well.

"Yeah well…as much as he deserved to have his ass kicked by a girl, I couldn't just let myself look like a wimp" he tried to explain. "Besides you wouldn't want to be seen dating a wimp would you?"

"We aren't dating remember" Cassie replied a smile on her lips.

"Oh yeah" Dave muttered remembering what she had told him a few weeks ago. "Well the water sure looks inviting huh." Leaving no room for another word Dave jumped into the water, went over to Kyle and proceeded dunk him under water though some might have called it drown him.

* * *

"So Brody how are we gonna get that kid back?" asked one of Brody's friends. After the confrontation with Dave, Brody had taken his crew to the woods surrounding the lake.

"We'll jump him and beat him so bad he'll wish he never messed with me. Then we'll take his girl too" Brody said bitterly as he pulled out a cigarette out and put it too his lips.

"Yeah, yeah, I like that plan" agreed another friend. "Can I bring a bat?"

"Bring whatever you like this kid is going to regret meeting me today" Brody said as he pulled out his lighter. As he tried to light his cigarette the flame caught his finger,"Shit!" he exclaimed pulling his hand back. Looking at his hand, he saw there was no damage and he realized that it didn't even hurt.

Flicking the lighter again he put his hand directly over it but felt no pain, confirming what he felt earlier. "Brody man what's going on?"

"Shut up" Brody snapped. He put his hand in front of his face and snapped. Sparks flew and when he did it again a flame appeared above his hand. "Yeah, he'll regret this day" he said with a sadistic smile.

* * *

Sam stood at the copy machine waiting for her papers to print out. So far the first month of the summer had been spent working inside a building, but it was worth it. An internship at the Daily Planet was her dream and a job was right next to it, however through the summer Sam couldn't help but have one thought on her mind: Dave's secret.

Before she left for Metropolis, Sam had it set in her mind that she was going to tell her friend that she knew about his secret. If it stayed unsaid between them they simply wouldn't be able to have a functioning friendship and eventually it would fall apart. Unfortunately her plan didn't go as she had intended it to. When she had walked up to him the day before she left, instead she said:

_"I'm going to miss you"_

Now Sam couldn't get it out of her head. If only she had told Dave the weight would've been lifted off of her shoulders. She couldn't help but think what she was so scared of. Was it that she feared how he would react to her knowing or that she had held the knowledge to herself for so long. Even worse, maybe she was afraid of her own reaction. What if he was more than just a meteor infected person?

"Sam…Hello Sam?"

Sam snapped back into reality as she saw a hand waving in front of her face. "Oh hey Richard." A smile instantly crossed her features as she did her best to appear like nothing else was on her mind.

"Are these the papers I asked for?" Richard asked.

"Uh, yes here you go" Sam said handing them to him, which he accepted with a thank you.

"Also I think Lois wants to see you at her desk" Richard added before leaving.

Sam walked over to her relatives' desk with curiosity. "You wanted to see me Ms. Lane?"

"Sam we don't use formalities around, well actually I guess it's good for you since you want a job here and all..."

"Lois, you're rambling" Clark said as he looked over his desk.

"Right, back to the point" Lois said getting on track. "I've got a big report down in the city and I was wondering if you wanted to tag along. You know live experience."

"Sure, I'd love to" Sam said as a smile came across her features.

* * *

"Well this was a great day in my opinion" said Dave as they walked through the parking lot. "I got out of farm work, went to the beach, and almost go into a fight." The comment earned him a look from Cassie, but even her 'looks' couldn't make him feel bad about today.

"Don't forget almost drown me" Kyle added sourly.

"Hey, you were asking for it. That's what you get for making your little flying jokes" Dave replied with a shrug. It seemed like a fair enough explanation for him.

"What about me?" asked Cassie, feeling left out.

"Awe, did you want to be held under water until you couldn't breathe too?" joked Dave as he put an arm around her. Kyle burst into a fit of laughter and Cassie couldn't help but join in after rolling her eyes.

"Jerk" she said, pushing him away playfully.

"So are we ready to head out of here?" Kyle asked, coming to a stop. They didn't exactly walk or drive there going through the parking lot seemed pointless.

"Yup" Dave said, making sure he had everything. "We should call up Dick when we get back, the sun is barely going down. The day is young."

"I'll call him when we get there" Kyle replied, preparing to fly off.

"So are we flying or-" Cassie was cut off as a fire ball flew past the trio and exploded into a car; sending it sky high.

"Just when it was getting peaceful" Dave said waving a hand in front of his face to fan the smoke. As he turned to look for a source he spotted the jock from earlier standing at the far end of the lot. "Hey look its Brody."

"Very funny little man, but this time I brought some fire power" Brody said.

"Ha-ha, it's funny cause he means it literally" Kyle said. Dave had to agree that the bad guys could be quite cliché when they wanted to.

Brody snapped his fingers and another fire ball appeared in his hands. Lurching forward he tossed it directly at Dave. Seeing as he was still in beach wear, and this guy had seen his identity already, Dave opted to duck down rather than take the blast head on.

"I'll handle this" Kyle said as he was surrounded in a green light, his costume bursting through.

"I don't know where you came from but you're going down fly boy" Brody said, seemingly unfazed by the glowing teen before him.

"He's not the brightest is he" Cassie said looking at Dave, who simply shrugged in reply.

Kyle flew towards him but stopped when Brody fired a barrage of fireballs at him. Doing his best to protect himself, he returned a blast of green light causing the barrage to break momentarily. "I could use some back up" Kyle called back.

Dave looked over and saw that Cassandra was already putting on her silver bracelets. "You wouldn't happen to have something I could use would you?"

As Kyle waited for back up Brody fired a full blast of heat towards him. The young hero quickly attempted to protect himself but was blasted backwards and came to a sliding halt on the blacktop.

"I got it from here Kermit" Dave said as he sped towards Brody. When they collided he sent the would be villain flying into the air and crashing hard onto the hood of a car. "Well that wasn't too hard." Turning back to look at Cassandra and Kyle, he suddenly flinched when a car exploded behind them.

"Now I'm angry." Brody created a large fireball in his hand as Cassie flew forward and was sent flying backwards due to the blast.

"Ouch" said Dave. "Can you give me some cover Kyle?" he looked over to see his friend give him a thumbs up.

Dave began to walk forward as Kyle countered the fireballs with blasts of his own. Dave picked up speed and went into super speed as he slammed into Brody and sent him tumbling throw a fence that bordered the parking lot.

"Did I over due it?"

"Just a little" Kyle answered.

"Come on, let's get Cassie and get out of here" Dave said as he heard the sound of people advancing to where they were.

"Why are you wearing a pink jacket?" asked Kyle as he noticed the apparel his friend had chosen to do battle in.

"It was all I had" Cassie commented as she pulled herself up.

"Oh you are never hearing the end of this" Kyle grinned looking over at Dave.

"Shut up. Let's just get out of here.

"Whatever you say princess."

* * *

**A/N:** so this was the first of the revised chapters. if you are re-reading or it was your first time, i hope you enjoyed it. I wanted this chapter to have a sort of same-old, same-old feel to it. Despite everything that happened at the end of Son of Superman, things are still the same. Meteor freaks are still running around and Dave is still putting them in their place. Hopefully you guys liked it and continue to read on as I update my other chapters.


	2. Red

**_A/N: italicized _words are a flashback.**

* * *

"Tell me why you never played football again?" Dick asked as he tossed the ball across the field. Richard Greyson or just Dick was Dave's best friend for as long as he could remember. Despite their separation in distances at time, they pretty much grew up together. Dave suspected it had something to do with an arrangement his dad may have made with Bruce, but he never confirmed the theory. A little known fact was that aside from being his best friend he was his partner in crime as the masked vigilante, Robin.

"I don't know, I just pursued other interest" Dave replied catching the ball.

Dick of course was referring to Dave's first year at Smallville High. 'Home of the Crows'. It had been a tough adjustment at first, seeing as he had lived his life in Metropolis. It seemed that Smallville High was still stuck in a movie. Almost every person in there fit a role that you'd see in a classic teenage drama or comedy. For a time Dave had wanted to play quarterback, much like his father did. In the end though, he just didn't find that it was right for him.

"Is that what we're calling chasing meteor infected crazies now?" Dick asked, causing Dave to laugh as he tossed the ball back. The last thing he had expected when he arrived in Smallville was for the population to still be feeling the effects of the two meteor showers that had rained down during his father's arrival and graduation.

"Hey it's not my fault they can't handle their new found powers in a responsible way" Dave replied. "Besides, the proper term is mentally ill, not crazies," he added on, catching the ball in the process.

"Yeah, yeah. Shouldn't we blame your dad for making us deal with this?" he had to admit that Dick had a point. Unfortunately Dave couldn't go complaining to his dad that the well still contained kryptonite; figuratively of course. His mom and dad had sent him to Smallville to avoid any eyes in Metropolis. The last thing they needed to know was that over the past year he had been becoming more of a figure then he probably would have been if he stayed home. Therefore he kept his activities quiet best he could.

"It's not like we haven't had anything we couldn't handle before" Dave pointed out before launching the ball far past Dick. "You know I think I should go professional or something."

" Your powers are like super 'roids" said Dick said, as they began walking back to the farm.. "They're illegal in sports; therefore you would be illegal in sports."

"You sound more like Cassie every day I swear" Dave told him, shoving him lightly. "Why don't you two just go shopping together."

"Cause she's already got you going with her, remember?" Dick replied with a grin. Dave's expression immediately dropped. He should have known that telling his friend about that instance was a mistake. Dick was nowhere near as bad as Kyle was when it came to using something against you in the future, but being a friend it should have been assumed that he'd occasionally poke fun at him with it. The experience had taught Dave to never tell your friends when you went shopping to Victoria's Secret with someone.

"That was only once!" he quickly said.

"Right, once that I know about" Dick countered, laughing as he glanced over at Dave's expression. "Relax man. I don't blame you. I'd probably have to go shopping with a girl if I was dating her too."

"We aren't dating" Dave mumbled, looking down at his feet.

"Oh right. Tell me why you guys don't date again. You're practically all over each other."

"It's a long story" he said shortly.

"Really? Well Cassie says it's all your fault" Dick said with a shrug. He appeared casual about it but he was clearly laying out bait that he knew Dave would take. He couldn't just let Cassandra claim she was in the right in this situation, he knew his best friend better than that.

"Well she's wrong. Let me tell you what really happened."

* * *

_Dave stood leaning against the store wall as Cassie picked out clothes. He honestly didn't know how he ended up in this situation…again. It started out unsuspecting enough, Cassie had simply asked if he wanted to come to her house for dinner and to hang out. The first part had taken place as planned and Dave could honestly say that Ms. Sandsmark could cook some good pasta. However, it quickly turned out that Cassandra's idea of hanging out and Dave's idea of the term were completely different. Mainly because her version including going to the mall and shopping until she was satisfied. _

_At this point there was no reason for him to even try to argue with her. For starters, she could carry him if she wanted to. He knew that as the first time he tried to refuse she literally dragged him the whole way there until he complied. Secondly, this was already the tenth time that he was accompanying her on one of her trips. Personally he didn't understand how someone could shop that much. _

_"Do you think I should get red or blue" Cassie asked, snapping him out of his daze. turning to the young man, she held up a blue and red tank top. Alternating holding each of them in front of her as if it would help him get a better idea of which looked best._

_"Uh, I don't know red?" he replied as more of a suggestion than a firm answer. Dave was never good when it came to picking out clothes, especially women's clothing. For males it was simple but Cassandra seemed to turn it into an art form. Not to mention she always seemed to go against what he suggested._

_"I think I like blue" Cassie replied with a smile, knowing it would get on Dave's nerves._

_"Then get blue" said Dave in defeat._

_"Actually I like red" Cassie finally decided, placing the blue shirt back on the clothes rack._

_"Why do you bother to ask me if you make your own choice anyway?" Dave asked as they went to the register. He honestly wondered if he would ever understand women. _

_"Because it's fun to see you frustrated" Cassie replied. "Plus I did end up choosing the one you said didn't I?"_

_"Well I'm glad you get a kick out of it" Dave said. "Are we gonna grab something to eat before we leave?" _

_"If you're paying" answered Cassie as she paid for her shirt and grabbed her bag._

_"You don't know how much you sound like Dick right now" Dave said with a laugh. They started to head to the food court that was within the mall when finally Cassie broke the silence._

_"So when are you going ask me out?" she questioned, calling out the elephant in the room._

_"W-what?" Dave asked, caught off guard by her question. When she just stared at him Dave realized that she wasn't going to stop until he gave her some sort of answer. "Well I was just waiting for the right time…you know, didn't want to rush things" he tried to answer as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. It had never been this hard asking anyone else out that he could remember._

_"And what would you call this? You and me alone at the mall. Sounds like the right moment to me" Cassie pointed out. Something told him that she was getting a lot of fun out of poking holes in his reasoning._

_"Well then" Dave stated, glancing around the mall. It was fairly empty at the moment, considering it was a weekday. However, there was one black haired female that caught his attention. "Colleen." The name barely slipped out of his mouth before he realized his mistake._

_"What was that?" she asked. If she stared any harder she would burnt a hole through him._

_"Cassandra" Dave attempted. However when Cassie's gaze failed to let up, he knew there was no reason in trying to refuse it. "Alright, one of my old friends just happened to walk by and her new flew into my head." _

_"Old friend, or girlfriend" Cassie questioned, raising an eyebrow._

_"Friend, things were…complicated and we never settled things" answered Dave. Complicated was certainly an understatement to define their 'relationship'. Of course the young hero figured that wasn't information that Cassandra needed to know about._

_"Well why did you guys never settle things?"_

_Dave rubbed his neck nervously, he certainly wasn't liking where this conversation was going. "Just never did. I could never tell her about my secret. Just made a void between us."_

_"Well then until you settle things with her, I don't want to be with you if you still have feelings for someone else" Cassie stated._

_"But-" _

_"No but's; now lets go eat lunch as friends" with that she made a swift turn and headed toward the food court.__

* * *

_

"So let me get this straight. Because you couldn't keep your mind and mouth on the same wavelength, you aren't dating?" Dick asked as Dave finished the story. He couldn't help but roll his eyes. This was a complicated situation, and leave it up to Robin to make it seem like a simple problem.

"She's the one that said we shouldn't date!" he retaliated in defense.

This time it was Dick's turn to roll his eyes. Leave it up to the person capable of anything to completely ruin the one thing he actually wanted. "Well you basically admitted that you still have feelings for Colleen, so you can't blame her for not wanting to jump into that" Dick argued.

"Whatever. Anyway, we haven't brought up the topic since" Dave said, not wanting to continue the subject. Walking into the barn, he headed up to the loft. It always amazed him that his father had kept it in such good condition. He could hardly believe that his earth grandfather was the one who originally gave the name Fortress of Solitude and that it was to this loft. It also led to jokes of teasing his dad on what a loner he was until mom came around.

"I'm surprised you guys are still close" Dick commented. Dave gave him a questioning look and he explained, "I'm just saying most girls would be pissed off, and not talk to you until you did what they asked."

"I guess that's why I like her she's not like other girls" Dave replied with a shrug.

A laugh came from his friend's lips, "Aww how sweet." This of course caused Dave to promptly punch him in the arm. Before Dave could answer, the familiar ringtone of _Say What's Real_ played from his pocket. Pulling out his cell phone he read that the caller id said 'Kyle'.

"Hey, what's up?" Dave answered. Naturally he was surprised when the voice on the other end was panicked and breathing deeply. "Kyle what's wrong?"

"I got attacked. They knew who I was. Got me when I was at the mall" his sentences were short and quick.

"We're on our way" Dave said hanging up the phone. By the time he had turned around, Dick was already placing his mask over his face. Walking over to the dresser in the loft, Dave pulled out a form-fitting blue t-shirt, he threw off his current shirt and placed the new one on. Grabbing a mask similar to Robin's he placed it over his eyes. A permanent costume was becoming an issue as of late, but it had been decided that he needed to cover his face in some form. So for now he borrowed one of Robin's masks. "Let's go" he said nodding to Robin.

It took Dave a matter of seconds to reach the mall. A few minutes later, Robin pulled up on his specialized motorcycle. Staring at the scene before them it was clear there was something wrong. The fact that people were running from the mall being the main clue. With a nod, they headed in through the main doors. Judging by his conversation on the phone, Kyle had not been able to transform due to being in the public eye. Hopefully he had been by the time they arrived. Jogging down the first hallway of stores, Dave say no signs of a battle and part of him began to get worried. Making a right down another hallway, they came to a stop.

"Maybe we should—" Dick was cut off as the glass from a nearby store shattered. "Nevermind."

Gathering himself, Dave looked for the source of the destruction. This question was answered as well as a man was sent flying into the wall and slid to the ground. Before they could move, Kyle stumbled from around the corner. "Kyle!" called out Robin. As he ran to aid his friend, he was suddenly sent back by a blast of red energy.

"Robin!" Dave turned to see the man who was previously slumped against the wall now had his fist raised, smoke emitting from a ring on his finger. It was hard to describe the man. He was certainly a man but not in the human sense. His skin was toned with a red tinge. He wore a simple suit that one might see the Green Lantern wearing, however he had protective armor on his shoulders and a chest plate. "You're going to regret that." Speeding towards the man, he caught him off guard and was able to knock him backwards.

"A speedster aye" the man's voice seeped out. Standing, he raised his fist before unleashing another blast. Standing his ground, Dave retaliated with his own heat vision. After a minute of a standoff between the two energies, the man ended his own beam. "Impressive." Again he fired his beam but before Dave could react, it turned into a fist, slamming into his chest and sending him flying backwards.

Coughing, Dave tried to pull himself up from the rubble. Before he could get up, he felt two metal clamps close tightly around him. "Ah!" he let out shout of pain as he was lifted into the air. Who the hell was this guy?

"You should learn to stay in your league, little man" the villain said. The next thing Dave saw, he was flying through the air and felt his body collide with another wall.

The man walked over to Kyle, battered and beaten. "Tell Hal Jordan that the Red Lantern Corps says hello." Putting his boot to the young hero's face, he kicked him down. His ring becoming illuminated, he proceeded to blast his way out of the mall's ceiling.

Slowly Dave began to regain consciousness as he felt someone shaking him. "Dave come on. We gotta get out of here." He recognized the voice as belonging to Dick. Shaking his head, he held onto Robin as he pulled himself up. Walking slowly at first he was able to regain his balance by the time they had made their way over to Kyle. "he's still unconscious. You better take him, I think my wrist is broken." Nodding, Dave picked up his friend and partner, happy to realize that his strength had not left him.

"Best inform the league" Dave said, regretting the words. He knew this would earn him a stern talking to from his dad. "We just got our asses kicked."

* * *

**A/N:** So this is my re-written 'Red Lanterns' chapter. Literally, I pretty much re-wrote the whole chapter. At first I was going to leave out the Red Lantern all together and change the chapter. However, in the end I obviously decided to keep it in. I realized that Dave, someone who is not even on vigilante status yet could not likely beat a Red Lantern. So instead I had this chapter serve a few purposes. One the team, minus Cassie, faces their first straight out butt-kicking. No epic battle, no future revenge, just flat out butt-kicking. Also it posses another aspect, that what if they found out about the superhero's children? it seemed to make sense that if they wanted to send a message to Hal Jordan they would attack his kid. That's the basic reasoning for this attack. there's no future plot mention with red lantern's or at least i don't have any in mind. So yeah. hopefully you guys liked it! don't forget to review if you are so inclined.


	3. Teleportation

Walking down the main street of downtown Smallville, Dave couldn't remember being more nervous in his life. It had been a week since the whole mall incident. Being made of steel meant that he took that week to heal his ego more than his body. After everything had been settled, Dick made a habit of reminding Dave what he had to do in terms of Cassandra and Colleen. He was well aware that his best friend would put things off for the last minute if he could. So finally Dave found himself walking down the street towards the Talon. He had to say, one convenience of a small town was that one road took you to everywhere.

Finally reaching the theater sign that read Talon, he came to a stop. Maybe it wasn't going to be as hard as he was making it to be in his mind. For all he knew, his feelings could have disappeared over the summer right? Looking inside the Talon, his eyes were immediately drawn to Colleen. Well there goes his previous theory. Taking a deep breath, he wished himself luck and entered the coffee shop.

"Long day?" he asked as she was wiping down the counter. At first she seemed surprised to see him, but after a moment she walked over to greet him with a hug.

"As always" she commented, taking as step back. "How are you?" Dave couldn't help but think how strange this conversation was. He had been infatuated with the girl as his first real crush. Even had up and down moments over the past year, yet here they were talking like long lost friends who hadn't seen each other in years. He didn't know whether to feel bad or be grateful that it wasn't awkward.

Dave grabbed a nearby chair, turning it upside down he placed it on the table. "I'm good. I was just walking by; thought I'd come in and lend a hand." He wasn't sure if he should dance around the subject or just get straight to it. Whatever it was.

"At 9 o'clock?" she questioned giving him a look. "That may fly in Metropolis, but we both know there's nothing to do around here at 9 pm. What's really on your mind?"

"I see your tolerance for my excuses is still at a minimum" Dave commented, causing her to elicit a smile. He had to admit, despite not having the same feelings he may have once had; he enjoyed their conversations nonetheless. After a moment of silence and moving another chair, he leaned against the table. "See I'm in this program, and—"

"Dave."

"Alright, alright. Honestly, I just feel like we kind of left things off on a bad note. I think things need to resolved y'know? Some sort of even ground" he said looking at her; hoping that he wasn't just crazy in all this.

Colleen stood silent for a moment before nodding in agreement. "I think that's a safe thing to think. You never exactly gave a decent reason for ending what never started. But I understand, there's just some things you weren't comfortable sharing with me." Dave felt as if someone was pricking him as she spoke. As much as he hated to agree to it, she was right. Though, if she was truly accepting as she said she was then there was some sort of Brightside.

"I know. I just…" as he tried to find the words to describe what he wanted to say, he felt her hand placed over his.

"Dave. It's okay" she gave him a reassuring smile. One that could quite easily stop hearts. Slowly, a smile found its way onto his own expression.

"You're a good friend you know that?"

"So I've been told" she said grinning lightly. Laughing Dave pulled her into a hug. As much as he felt for Colleen, he was happy to know that they still had a friendship to salvage. It was probably the biggest thing he feared losing when he walked down here. As they stood embraced, Dave heard a scream reach his ears. Not feeling Colleen react to it he assumed it was one that only he could hear.

"Well I suppose, I should be heading home now. Seeing as there's nothing to do around here" he said, pulling apart from her. Colleen nodded as she walked him towards the door. "Be safe getting home tonight."

"I will be. Goodnight David Kent" as she closed the door Dave stood for a moment, watching as she finished cleaning the counter and moved to make sure everything else was in place. For a second he was tempted to stay and help her, however as another high pitched yell reached his ears, he had no choice. Putting his mask on, he was gone in a blur.  
**

* * *

**Following his hearing to the scene of the crime, Dave came to a halt in an alley just where he had heard the last sound. Looking around, he tried to look for any victims or current struggles but saw nothing. The street was deserted. Hearing another scream, his head snapped upwards. Above were two figures standing on the roof of an apartment complex. Bingo.

Using his enhanced vision he was able to make out that the two figures were a man and a woman; listening intently he tried to figure out what exactly was going on.

"Please, Rick, don't do this" the woman pleaded, backing towards the ledge of the building. As he heel hit the ledge she realized she had run out of space to flee.

"You left me with no choice! You brought this upon yourself" the man said, moving towards her. His face was distraught; his appearance clearly untidy. The shirt he wore was misbuttoned and one might think he hadn't slept in days. While he had no physical weapon, all he needed right now was gravity.

"I promise, I won't tell anyone! You'll get away clean."

"That's not a risk I'm willing to take Olivia" without another word the man named Rick lurched forward, shoving Olivia off of the roof in one motion. Dave barely had to time to react from the moment he witnessed her falling frame. Moving quickly he leapt up to catch her falling form. Rolling as he came to a falling halt, he hoped his acrobatics hadn't harmed her in anyway.

When the woman finally opened her eyes, she seemed shocked to find her body in one piece,"H-how did you-?" she tried to find the words as Dave helped her stand up.

"You're okay now, that's what matters" he spoke, attempting his most heroic voice. His father had the ability to use a deep, trusting voice. Unfortunately Dave had yet to fully pass his teenage years and therefore it didn't come out quite the same. Glancing back up at the roof, he saw that the perpetrator was gone. Before he could even begin to wonder where the man had gone, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

Turning around, he was met with a swift punch to the face. The force of the punch hadn't exactly been great but the sheer surprise of it knocked him backwards. "What the hell" he muttered, pulling himself together. There was no way he was going to get his butt kicked two villains in a row. Let alone by a meteor freak. Standing erect, he ran towards the man only to hit air as he swung. Looking in front of him, the man was gone. Suddenly a scream from Olivia caught his attention. Swinging around, he was met with a pole to the neck. Again, caught off guard he stumbled slightly.

"Alright, that's enough" as the man swung the pole once more, this time the teen of steel was ready. Holding up an arm it formed a dent in the metal as the two collided. This, apparently, was not what the man had been expecting. Tossing the pole to the ground, Dave grabbed the man by the shirt. Seeing as he was shorter than Rick, he couldn't exactly seem too intimidating. "Didn't anyone tell you it's not nice to throw people off a roof?"

As the shock wore off, Dave was shown first hand how he had gotten from the roof to the ground so quickly. Giving him a hard kick in the chest, he was forced to lose his grasp on Rick. In an instant the man disappeared in a puff of green smoke. "Teleportation" he mumbled looking around. So this wasn't just your average psycho boyfriend. As he looked around for the villain, Olivia shouted a warning.

"Behind you!"

Turning quickly, he caught Rick's fist before it could connect with his body. Holding tightly, the man began to teleport. As the scene of Metropolis began to shake, Dave felt like his whole body was going to be ripped in two as they moved through space. Finally feeling the ground beneath him, he let go rolling away. "Okay. No the best idea."

Looking around, he recognized their location as a corn field. Most likely in Smallville. Before he could make anymore observations, a fist connected with his head however this time he held his ground. When Rick saw that his opponent was made of a lot more than flesh, he seemed to back off slightly. "Now you want to tell me why you were tossing a woman off a roof?"

"I don't think that's any of your business" he responded, keeping a fair distance between them.

"Really? I think the authorities might think differently about that"

"You're out of your league kid" the man said with a devlish grin. In an instance he was gone again. When Dave didn't immediately feel the threat return, he realized the man had gone for good. Whoever, or whatever, he was. He certainly didn't seem to have the same power hungry motives as everyone else who got infected by meteor rocks.

Shrugging, he figured it was for the best. Remembering about the woman, he returned to Metropolis in a flash. When he arrived he was happy to see that she was still in place, hopefully somewhat more recovered from her experience. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice causing her to jump.

When she realized it was her rescuer her expression became much softer. "Thanks to you I am. I can never thank you enough" she showing her gratitude. "I'm Olivia."

"As long as your okay, that's what matters" he replied smiling.

"Do you have a name?"

"Well if I told you that then it wouldn't be a secret identity would it?"

"I mean. A name you go by. You are a super hero aren't you?" she questioned, causing Dave to rub his neck shyly.

"I'm not too sure about that title" he replied honestly. Sure he had saved the world but with the assistance of his father, who was the real hero. David wasn't sure he was ready to accept that title and the responsibility that came with it.

"Well mystery man, when you're ready to go public, I can say that I was your first rescue. You'll always be my hero" she said smiling. With another thank you she bid him goodnight and headed on her way home.

Dave couldn't help but be frozen in his spot as he thought over her words. Even if he wasn't ready to except the responsibilities of being a hero, he had been one tonight and he had done it on his own. Kyle nor Cassie or Dick were here to help him. He, David Kent, had saved someone's life. Even as he ran home he couldn't seem to grab the grandness of that statement. One thing was for certain though, he never felt better in his life.  


* * *

Throwing on his best t-shirt, Dave looked himself in the mirror once more before deciding his appearance was up to par. Then again, when wasn't it? He needed everything to be perfect for today as it could either go just as he planned it in his head or slightly off kilter. Jogging down the stairs, he made his way into the kitchen. Grabbing a piece of toast from the table, he made his way out the door. "Thanks for breakfast Grandma."

"But what about your eggs?"

"I'll eat them when I come back."

"Have a good day" she called out as he disappeared, leaving a trail of wind and dust behind him.

As Dave sped through the countryside, he couldn't help but recall the events of the previous night. He had never figured out who the heck that Rick guy was. Refocusing, he pushed it to the side of his thoughts. He needed to be prepared, only thinking about one thing. Finally coming to a halt, he walked up to the door and knocked gently.

As the blonde haired heroine opened the door, he couldn't help but smile. "Dave. I didn't know you were coming by. I would have cleaned up" she said referring to the paint on her hands. Wiping them on her apron, she looked up at him questioningly. "What's up?"

"Toast?" he asked offering her what was remaining of his breakfast.

"As tempting as that looks, I already ate" she teased, stepping outside and closing the door behind her. "I know you didn't come by simply to offer me a half-eaten piece of toast."

"What I can't just stop by anymore?" Dave asked in mock offense. Cassie gave him the look that said she wasn't falling for his games at the moment. Letting his act drop, he took a deep breath, thinking over the words he had practiced all night. "It's done."

"What's done?" she asked confused.

Dave couldn't help but grin as took a step closer towards her. "Well remember that time at the mall. When you said for me to do something?" he waited as a look of realization crossed her features. Immediately she broke out in a smile as well. "Cassandra Sandsmark, would you like to be my girlfriend?"

"Such a gentleman" she teased moving towards him. Floating up, she met his lips and wrapped her arms around him.

"So that's a yes?" he muttered against her lips.

Laughing, Cassie placed another kiss on his lips, "Yes it is." This was officially the second happiest he had been in his life.  


* * *

Lex Luthor stood staring out onto Metropolis from his LuthorCorp office. This city should be his, in fact the whole United States of America should be his. Unfortunately there was one nuisance named Superman that stood in his way time and time again. It wouldn't be long though. Not even Superman with all his might could control the public opinion and with all the generous projects LuthorCorp was heading, President Luthor was becoming an appealing name. If one of these projects happened to involve taking Superman out, well then, that was just another bonus.

Hearing the arrival of a man behind him, he didn't bother turning to face him. "How did it go?"

"Very well sir" the man replied swiftly.

"The witness?"

There was a slight pause in his response that caused a frown to cross Lex's features. "Dealt with sir."

"You don't sound so assured Mr. Jackman."

"It's not about the witness sir" he quickly stated. "While leaving the scene, I encountered this peculiar figure." Raising an eyebrow, Lex turned to face the man. Waving a hand, he motioned for him to continue. "Well you see he was super powered; but he couldn't have been much older than a teenage boy."

"In what way?"

"Well, he had incredible speed. His strength was certainly considerable, and when I hit him it could have broken my knuckles." Lex took in the information as he spoke. If this new hero was as Rick said, a teenager, then there was no way he could be Superman. Perhaps another kryptonian though?

"Mr. Jackman, find out what you can about this boy. Most importantly his weakness" with that Lex turned to look out the window again. If this new boy was in fact kryptonian in any sense then he already knew his weakness. All he needed was a little conversation. "If I can't get to Superman directly, then hurting one of his kind was the next best thing."

* * *

**A/N**: phew! three chapters edited, seven to go! well not exactly, I feel pretty content with a few of the later chapters. Anyway, for this chapter I kept almost everything the same. I dealt with the Colleen/Dave situation slightly differently as well as the Dave/villian scene. I kept most of the basics the same simply because I realized this is a fairly important chapter. As he himself realizes, it's his first solo rescue at least recently. He's gotten so used to having the assistance of Cassie and/or Kyle that when he does something on his own (his first hero act) the realization stuns him. Of course it helps to have a grateful citizen

Also the Lex plot begins to develop here. I decided to expand his plans as more than just destroy Superman. As usual Lex wants more hopefully you guys liked this new chapter!


	4. Weakness

Atop the roof of one of the many cooperate buildings in downtown Metropolis, two men laid down across the gravel. Both were covered in black camoflauge gear and one was currently looking down the scope of a Barrett 50 caliber sniper rifle. The weather was less than perfect for their mission but Lex Luthor would accept nothing other than success, not even a postponement. The slight drizzle that was beginning to fall meant that he had to keep the lens cleaned. The wind that was blowing meant he had to steady his shot. Being a sniper meant that you had to take everything into consideration.

"That's him alright" said the sniper, looking away from his scope and over at his partner.

Pulling his own binoculars away from his face, the man grinned down at his co-worker. "Nothing like young love, eh?"

"I agree. Love is definitely in the air for them" agreed the sniper with a cocky smirk. "It's unfortunate though. Romeo and Juliet were so in love too. What ended up happening to them, Rick?"

"Everyone died" Rick answered, giving a menacing laugh. Glancing through his binoculars once more to confirm the target he gave his partner the thumbs up. Nodding, the sniper opened the case of bullets laid out next to him. Pulling out a green tipped piece, he loaded it into the barrel.

"Let's hope Luthor's right about this kid."

"I hope the girl gets out of the way. We don't want any unwanted casualties" Rick commented. The sniper simply grinned as he aimed down the sight of the scope.

"Don't worry, I'm a deadshot when it comes to these jobs" he commented. "Adios Romeo." And the sound of a sniper bullet filled the Metropolis air.

* * *

"Look all I'm asking is why I have to be the one that comes with you every time you go shopping?" questioned Dave. He was in the scene that seemed to be normal for him now. No it wasn't rescuing a cat from a tree or man from a fire; it was carrying Cassie's bags as they walked through downtown Metropolis. They didn't even have good weather this time, yet Cassandra still seemed intent on getting what she needed.

"In case you didn't know. One privilege of being a boyfriend is that not only do you get to go shopping with me, but you get to carry the bags as well" Cassie said smiling at him. God he hated when she used that smile on him.

"I was carrying your bags before we were together though" Dave pointed out.

"Well then you should be used to it." As much as he wanted to sulk about the whole situation, he chuckled lightly at her reply. He figured this was just one of the things he would have to get used to. At least until he could make Cassie and Sam better friends. Then she could take Sam on her little trips. At least she would enjoy them more than he was.

As they walked down the crowded streets of Metropolis a distinct bang filled the summer air. Dave immediately recognized the sound as a gunshot, but from where or what kind he had no clue. Dropping the bags, he immediately began to look around the area. "Cassie, we've got to clear-clear t-t" Dave didn't finish his sentence as he fell over. Laing on the ground he moved his hand over his abdomen to find that there was something he never thought he'd see: a pool of blood on his shirt.

"Dave. Dave?" she turned around and saw him laying on the floor, bleed profusely. "Oh god. Okay, it'll be alright. We'll get you out of here." However her voice betrayed her as she began to panic. Pressing her hand against the wound, she tried futile to stop the bleeding. Pulling out her cell phone she frantically dialed the first number that came to mind.

_"Hello?_

"Dick, I-I need help fast!"

_"Slow down Cassie, what's wrong? What happen?"_

"Dave's been hurt!"

**-24 Hours earlier-**

"Well it looks like summer time is almost up" Nick said as they walked down the uncrowned streets of Smallville. Dave had to admit, despite there being so much less to do in a Smallville summer then when he stayed in Metropolis, it was sometimes nice to just be able to walk around and enjoy your time. Not have to worry about being run over in the constant hustle and bustle that was Metropolis. Plus the ice cream around here wasn't that bad.

"Don't talk like that, we've still got a month left" Dave replied. He was honestly dreading going back to school, but on the other hand he would get to see Sam again. It had been two months since the last time Dave saw Sam at school. The next day she was off to her internship at the planet. He had intended on visiting her but recent crime activity was beginning to take up more of his time then he would like. Last time he saw her, she seemed to have something on her mind. Dave couldn't help but be curious as to what it was.

"Did anything seem off about Sam when she left at the beginning of the summer?" Dave questioned voicing his thoughts. Looking at his friend, Nick gave him a curious look.

"Well that's out of the blue, but no I didn't sense anything" Nick replied with a shrug. As far as he knew, Sam had not told Dave that they were aware of his secret. He had almost expected her to sometime right after, but she didn't therefore he didn't. There was no way he was going to be the first person to tell that to Dave. Especially not knowing how she would react.

"Well, the last day of before she left she looked like she wanted to tell me something important" Dave answered. Even though Sam hadn't said anything important it felt like she meant to. Sam always looked like she could hide the truth if need be. Maybe it had to do with journalism. "In the end it was just wishing me a good summer."

"You're probably just imagining things dude" Nick said trying to brush off the subject. "Want to stop for something at the Talon?"

"Nah, I'm not really in for anything hot or brewed" he replied as they walked past the only café shop in town. "Plus I don't think Colleen is working there today."

"Who?"

"An old friend" Dave informed him, forgetting that Nick didn't know who Colleen was. If he did he had only known her casually. "Maybe I can set you up with her on a date." he offered, resisting the urge to laugh.

"Please, I don't need your help to get a date" Nick scoffed at him, causing Dave to release his laughter. "The only reason Cassandra is with you is because I turned her down."

"Are you sure? Cassie and I are going shopping in downtown Metropolis tomorrow, you can come on a double date" he laughed as they continued on their way down the street. "Prove you're manly-ness and all." When Nick just gave him a look, Dave patted his friend on the back, "It's okay. I trust you'll find some woman out there that can handle your craziness."

* * *

"Is that our boy?" a man asked his partner. The two gentlemen were situated by the window of the Talon; staring out as two young men passed by. Lex Luthor had given them a simple enough mission: find the boy and find his weakness, or rather prove Lex's theories about him. Their instructions had been pretty clear cut. Lex suggested they start out in Smallville. He didn't ask any questions as to why they would start there, but apparently Smallville was a good spot to find a super powered alien running around.

The second man, glanced out the window before grunting, "That's him alright. I never forget a face; especially after what he did." It seemed that after his last mission, Mr. Luthor deemed it appropriate that Rick be given a partner to work with. This kid had ruined his reputation, now he was getting the opportunity to return the favor.

"Do we have a name?' asked the first man, ignoring the side comment his partner made. He had no interest in personal vendetta's. He was paid to do his job, whatever that job may be, and he was going to do it right. Personal morals or grievances could be taken to customer service.

"Nothing as of yet. Just a kid with superpowers similar to the almighty" Rick replied, looking over the scare information packet Lex had given them. It wasn't much that was for sure.

The first man slapped is cup down in aggravation. "Someone in Luthor's position, you think he'd be able to give you proper information for a job."

"That's why he hired you" Rick commented, glancing over at his partner. "They said you're the best at doing what you're paid for."

"Oh I am" the mercenary assured him. "See the key to being the best is not to get sidetracked on the job. Don't let them play at your conscious, don't go off on shortcuts or do the job half-assed. Make sure everything is done thoroughly and to the books." Rick nodded as the man spoke, he certainly was something else. "See the way I see it, we don't need to find his weakness."

Rick looked at him, clearly lost on his line of thought. "How do you see it like that?"

"Well" his partner started. "A kid of this caliber, with all the abilities he posses, finding a weakness could take forever and never prove fruitful. The way I see it, Luthor already has his suspicions. Of course he's not going to share them with two blokes like you and I. All we have to do is confirm his theory and the job will be done." As he finished, a look of realization was coming across his features.

Pulling out a twenty, he tossed it on the table before getting up. "Come on, they're on the move." making their way out of the café, he motioned for Rick to follow him. Staying a good twenty feet back, they were able to keep the target and his friend in their view as they walked down the main street.

"What about his friend?" Rick questioned, as they walked casually.

"Hopefully he doesn't get in the way" at the man's words, Rick stared at him. He certainly was a mercenary. Jogging lightly, towards the man he pulled out a gun from his back. As they drew closer, Dave and Nick turned around to see what the commotion was. With one swing, the mercenary brought the hilt of the pistol across Nick's head, knocking him to the ground.

"What's going -" Before Dave could add the last word, three rounds were fired into his stomach. Initially doubling over out of natural reaction, Dave recovered by swinging an arm at the man, unintentionally sending him hard into a parked car. Standing up, the three bullet shells fell from his shirt as he looked around. A few feet away, stood a familiar face. "You!"

Before he could make a move towards Rick, the man disappeared in a cloud of green energy. Feeling his stomach once more, Dave leaned down to check on Nick. First he was saving girls off of buildings, now he was being mugged.

* * *

"What happen to the other crook?" Kyle asked as Dave walked into the living room. After the event, he had waited for an ambulance to show up for Nick and the police for the gunman. Once everything had cleared up, he figured it was best to leave before anything got too publicized. In small towns people happened to be quite nosy.

"The cops took him in, said their charging him with armed robbery and assualt" Dave answered, throwing himself onto the couch. Checking his abdomen once more, it wasn't as if he had never experienced his durability before, it was just the fact that it had happened so suddenly and close.

"And Nick?" Cassie questioned, looking at her boyfriend with concerned eyes. After Dave had arrived back at the Kent Farm, he had sent a text message to his two friends. Immediately they had arrived at the house to make sure everything was okay.

"A bruise but other than that he's fine. Pride probably hurt more than anything" Dave responded.

"That's good news" Kyle said in relief. He knew that the son of Superman was perfectly capable of handling himself, however it was always the innocents he worried about whenever some sort of tragedy happened. The ones who couldn't protect themselves from a speeding bullet or energy blast.

Dave sighed shaking his head. "None. I mean the one guy was that man from when I saved the woman so maybe it was some sort of revenge plot. Other than that, I can't think of any reason someone would walk up to me and shoot me point blank."

"Where's the detective when you need him" Kyle commented, referring to Dick better known to the world as Robin.

"Maybe they were seeing what you could withstand? I mean he obviously knows you're super strong and fast. Now he knows you're invincible" Cassie offered. He considered it for a moment. She certainly had a point, especially if Rick was staging some grand revenge but the criminal just didn't strike Dave as that kind of villain.

"Almost invincible" he corrected. "I'm just happy everyone is okay. Eventually we'll deal with this guy." Kyle nodded in agreement.

"Don't think this gets you out of shopping tomorrow by the way" Cassie reminded him, successfully earning a groan from the young man.

"I've just been put through a tragic event and you want to take me shopping?" he asking, trying to get some advantage in the sympathy department.

"Well shopping always cheers me up, it'll do the same for you" Cassie stated, causing Dave to hang his head in defeat. Meanwhile Kyle was off snickering in his own chair.

"Yeah Dave, maybe you can get some new pumps."

"Shut it."

* * *

"So he took three shots to the chest?" Lex asked one more time.

"Well the stomach sir, but yes. Three direct shots and the bullet shells simply fell to the ground" Rick stated with a nod.

Lex was beside himself. This couldn't be more perfect if he dreamt it up himself. Here was a teenage boy, all signs pointing to Kryptonian, just ripe for the picking. Lex didn't know if he was a cousin, nephew, or long lost brother, but he knew he had some relation to Superman. There was no way he couldn't have any. By taking out this boy he would weaken the Man of Steel. He would be wrought with pain and agony; the perfect time for Lex to make his public move. "Well then that does sound like Superman doesn't it" Lex stated rather than asked. Rick wasn't paid for his opinions.

"The mercenary sir, he was taken in by police officers" Rick added cautiously. He didn't know how upset Lex might be at this information.

"Details, Rick, details" Lex replied nonchalantly. "Our friend knows better to talk to the authorities. A few phone calls and I'll have him free by dawn tomorrow morning." Rick nodded, not doubting his employer's influence over the corrupt police forces. "Now, if this boy is like Superman, would it be reasonable to say he has the same weaknesses as Superman?"

"I suppose so" Rick stated, "But how do we figure that out."

"That's what I'm here for my dear man" Lex replied with a devilish grin. Walking over to his desk, he pulled open the bottom drawer. Pulling out a black container he placed it on the counter as Rick watched intently. Opening it, he pulled out a green tipped bullet.

"You think of everything Mr. Luthor" Rick commented in awe.

"That's why I make the big bucks Rick" Lex commented, twirling the bullet in his hand as he turned to look out window. "And tomorrow when our boy is out on his little shopping trip, he'll be met with a deadly surprise."

* * *

"Tell me again why I'm here" Dave said as they walked through the streets of Metropolis. It seemed that once more Cassie was true to her promise that he would go shopping with her.

"Because you like to see me happy" Cassie replied as if it was the simpliest answer in the world.

Dave rolled his eyes, but laughed nonetheless. Despite having the power of the Gods within her, there were times when Cassandra was quite literally the girliest girl he knew. Of course then there were moments when she was far more mature and smarter than him, but he tended to forget about those moments. "You know once school starts I'm going to have to beat up anyone who tries to hit on you" Dave informed her.

"Is that so?" she asked, giving him an amused expression. "Well then I'm allowed to do the same to any girls who flirt with you right?"

"No, no. It's completely different for guys than it is girls." Dave quickly stated.

"Please, we aren't going to have any double standard threads going on about this relationship" Cassie commented, earning a confused look from her boyfriend. "Explain why it's different."

He paused for a second trying to think of the best way to explain the obvious answer. "First off, guys intentions are always worse than girls. So when I see a guy hitting on you I know what he's really thinking" Dave insisted.

"You must not know girls as well as you think" Cassie said shaking her head.

"That is very true. I still don't know why I'm here."

"One you said that already. Two, you notice we have this conversation every time I take you shopping right?" she asked grinning at him.

"Look all I'm asking is why I have to be the one that comes with you every time you go shopping?"

* * *

_"Shot? By who? By what?"_

"I don't know, but he's bleeding badly. I need help" she spoke frantically into the phone. Dick couldn't remember hearing this desperation in her voice before.

_"Superman should be there in any second" _As he spoke, there was a sound a keys being pressed, possibly sending out a message from the batcave.

"It's looking bad Cassie" she said tearing her eyes away from the body in her arms. Scanning the scene she looked for any source of the attack. Surely someone could not have done this and run.

_"Superman will bring him to the cave, Bruce should be able to deal with it."_

"Alright..." her voice trailed off and Dick could hear the wind traveling through the phone letting him know she was flying somewhere.

_"Cassie, don't do anything drastic wait until-"_

Dick was cut off as she hung up the phone. Curling her fist she flew towards the rooftop at amazing speed. The two men atop the roof were so startled they couldn't move. Cassie grabbed the one who had the rifle in his hands by the collar and lifted him up.

"Give me a reason I shouldn't let you fall to your death" she stated, as she lifted him over the edge. There was a venom in her voice that seemed foreign.

"You hero's are all pathetic" the mercenary spat. Gripping him tightly Cassie battled with her inner demon. This man certainly didn't deserve to go free, but she wasn't the one to make the choice as to what consequences he should face.

"Wonder Girl!"

Her attention was grabbed as her alternative name was called below. Sending the man sliding across the rooftop, she looked down to see Superman kneeling by Dave's body. In an instant she was down beside him. Looking at Superman as he observed the damage, his expression seemed to confirm everything that she feared.

Instead of flying off towards Gotham, Superman did something unexpected. From his eyes, he emitted his heat vision and burned into the skin of his son. "When I reach the bullet, you'll have to be the one to grab it out. Most likely it's a kryptonite Bullet, so you'll have to get rid of it fast." Cassandra nodded in understanding and waited patiently for the moment.

Once Superman's vision had stopped, Cassie could see the end of the golden bullet within the singed wound. Reaching in swiftly but carefully, she pulled out the bullet. As Clark had stated, the bullet was tipped and filled with kryptonite. For a second a gasp escaped the Man of Steel before Cassandra flew away with the toxic material.

Looking down at his son, Clark knew that he had to act quickly. Having been through a similar situation during his own lifetime, he could only hope that his plan worked. Throwing his unconscious son's arm around him, he flew up into the sky. Rain pattering against his face, he continued forward until he was above the rain clouds. Feeling the presence of the Earth's sunrays on his face Clark was only hoping that the same effect would be had on his son.

* * *

**A/N: **So I must say, there will be a slight change in the next few chapters. Originally, this Dave getting shot arc continued for about four chapters. However, I found that I just didn't like the whole idea so instead I decided to change the ending and thus the next chapter or two.

The basic idea of the chapter stays the same, Dave is shot due to the ambitions of Lex Luthor. I decided to add a little bit more to Lex's motivations than before. he just doesn't want to kill a kryptonian, he wants to damage Superman. Over the years he has realized that the best way to do that is to hurt someone he cares about, so why not kill a fellow kryptonian? In the original version of this chapter, Dave is killed; however I decided to change it a bit and make it more...practical? You'll see how it turns out in the next chapter though (: hope you guys enjoyed it!


	5. Crossroads

**A.N:** so i've made some serious changes to the story. first it isn't dead! second as i stated before i've removed the whole 'dave dying' arc and wrapped that up in this chapter. I went back to what i originally intended this story to be which is dave finding his way and 'becoming a hero' and dealing with those trials. anyway, read on! i'll take more at the end

* * *

Warmth.

That was the first thought to run through Dave's foggy mind.

One by one each of his senses started to come back to him. Sight seemed to be the slowest but using the other four, he tried to register what was happening. He was moving…moving quickly. Flying perhaps. Considering that the more he moved the warmer he got, he was moving in a vertical direction towards the sky.

As his mind began to function clearer, the young man tried to remember what exactly had happened. Last he remembered was a gunshot…then trying to clear out the street and another gunshot. Was this heaven?

He tried to raise his eye lids which turned out to be a tougher task then he remembered it being. Fluttering open slowly he registered a lot of white. So this was heaven…Wait, no those were clouds. So he was flying. Turning his head slowly he saw the features that even through groggy eyes he could recognize.

"Dad…" it came out as a low grumble but nothing was too low for the Kryptonians hearing.

"Just a bit longer son, you'll be fine" he said, his tone strong and reassuring. Briefly David wondered if this is how all of the people who his dad saved felt. If so, then he really was more of a hero than Dave gave him credit for.

Finally the streak of white came to an end as they burst through the final layer of clouds. Whereas the warmth had been teasing him before, Dave now felt it completely envelope his body. It flowed through his skin to his veins, regenerating his blood cells one by one. The pigment to his skin slowly returned from a ghastly pale to a healthy tone. His earlier body movements and functions that had previously felt slow and groggy were slowly reaching their normal superhuman level. Like magic the wound that he sustained healed itself, and any organs that had been damaged repaired themselves. It felt like life was being breathed back into him.

His eyes flying open, his vision was suddenly clear. "Holy hell…" the words escaped his mouth before he turned his eyes to see his dad, "Sorry."

"I think I can let the curse slide on this occasion" Clark said before pulling his son against him in a tight embrace. His dad was never a stone wall but they also never had an emotional moment like this. Dave wrapped his arms around him, both of them knowing what almost could have happen.

"What happen down there?" Dave asked as he finally pulled away, still holding on to his father's shoulder for obvious reasons. "I mean…did I get shot?"

Clark was quite for a moment, a small smile on his face and his son wondered if he was still appreciating the fact that he still had a son. Finally he opened his mouth to speak, "I think there's some people worried about you down there. We can talk about the details later."

Dave was silent for a moment as he looked at his father, wondering if he should press on or not. Finally he nodded, he was sure Cassandra would want to see him right away.

They had decided that taking him back to Metropolis was far too risky. Authorities were already on the scene and who knew if there were still any lingering threats. Instead Clark took them back to the safety of the Kent farm where Lois, Cassie, and Dick were already waiting. Ma Kent had also prepared a bowl of soup for the young hero, which he gladly dove into.

"Have you told anyone your secret?" Clark questioned as they sat around the dining room table.

"For the tenth time, no. Everyone who knows is in this room. Plus Kyle and I doubt he's the one who shot me" Dave replied after swallowing a spoonful of soup.

Dick raised his hand to his ear, before speaking up, "Bruce said the obvious culprit is Lex" he spoke. Bruce Wayne, better known as Batman, was listening to the whole conversation through Dick back at the Batcave where he had access to his main computer. The sidekick had an earpiece on that allowed him to hear and then speak Bruce's thoughts.

Clark contemplated this for a moment and Lois took it as her chance to take the floor. "Yeah but how would he know David from plain clothes? Even if he was able to suspect that he was kryptonian." That of course was the biggest and maybe most disturbing question. If he knew that David was the new superboy and then he might be able to trace Clark to Superman.

Of course what they didn't realize was that Lex was unaware that it was Dave. This whole process had been conducted by third parties. The one man that did know who he looked like was now behind bars.

"I did meet him when you guys first sent me here last year. That was about it though" Dave said, remembering their encounter at the football field.

"That man always did have the worst interest in you Clark" Martha spoke up, filling her grandson's plate with another spoonful of soup.

"If he thought Clark was special, he might have that equal suspicion about Clark's son" Dick offered, again speaking for the Dark Knight.

A momentary silence fell over the room, aside from the occasional slurp of soup which eventually caused Cassie to hit him in the back of the head. "Wait!" Dave said, as if the slap jolted his memory. "There could be someone else. A few days ago…there was this teleporter. He saw my face when I stopped him but he got away. Then a little bit after he attacked Nick and me on the street."

Lois and Clark exchanged glances before the man of steel spoke. "So he knew you were super powered and then he just attacked you in broad daylight?"

"Well…more like he shot me three times then disappeared, but yeah" Dave replied, looking at his father and trying to get a read on his thoughts.

"It was a test" Dick's voice came from the corner. "Uh—Bruce says" he clarified once everyone's eyes turned to him. "The teleporter was testing you. To see what you could withstand."

"Is it that hard for a billionaire to fly out here" Lois muttered, obviously getting annoyed with not having Bruce here in person. Things just sounded a lot more trustworthy coming from his lips than a teenagers.

"Uhh, hold on" Dick took the earpiece out of his ear, he pressed it once and placed it on the table. "Go ahead, you're on speaker."

Everyone now turned their attention to the small device, smaller than a thumb, sitting in the middle of the table. Soon the dining room was filled with the deep voice of the billionaire playboy. "The teleporter was working for Luthor. The first time Dave stopped him he probably told Lex. This sparked his curiosity so he told him to find Dave and find out what he can do. Once he knew Dave was bullet proof, probably fast and super strong" there was a pause as they looked to Dave and he nodded. "…so once he knew that he could assume this kid was kryptonian."

Once again the Dark Knight had proved why he was a master detective and let everyone in the room wondering. "But if he thought Dave was kryptonian, why try to kill him?" Cassie asked, looking around the room.

"To hurt me. Draw me out" Clark answered firmly. "I've always been Lex's endgame. If he could take out another kryptonian he knows how it'd affect me."

"Hold on though. This is good right?" Lois suddenly said with a brighter tone to her voice. "Lex might not know who the kryptonian is if he was having a henchman do the work."

Before the mood could be too bright, the earpiece spoke. "Nothing stopping him from going to that jail cell and getting his information though."

"Question. Couldn't he just have teleported out of jail?" Dick questioned and just like that the grim silence returned to the room. If the teleporter was free and returned to Lex then Dave's identity might have already leaked out.

"Maybe if he thinks he's dead, he won't care about who he was?" offered Cassie.

"Maybe…" though Clark didn't seem convinced. "Bruce, put the league on alert for this guy. We're just going to have to hope luck is on our side. Son, stay here. Cassie might be right but if he finds out you're alive then he'll try again as long as he has access to that teleporter."

A beeping rang through the room and Lois grabbed her beeper from her waist. "God, it's Perry again. He's been blowing me up. I'm sure the scene downtown is one hell of a story and his ace reporter isn't there."

"I'll fly you back to Metropolis" Clark offered before turning back to his son. "I'm serious David. Actually listen to me for once."

Dave simply nodded and bid his parents farewell as his grandma walked them to the door. "Come on, let's go to the loft" he said to Cassie and Dick. The trio of teenagers made their way towards the large red barn that still looked like it was brand new. Having a super powered son you can make repairs in a flash helps of course.

As they ascended up to the loft, Dick was the first one to speak. "Well this has been a fun day." Dave simply threw himself onto the couch while Cassandra gave the boy wonder a death glare. "What I'm being sarcastic, sheesh" he said throwing his hands up in defense.

The young kryptonian laughed, his eyes closed as he lay on his back. "Leave her alone Dick, she can scowl if she wants. We've had a rough few hours to say the least." Dick merely gave a dismissive shake of the hands before searching through the loft for something to occupy his hands with. Cassie stood leaning against a dresser, a look of worry still across her features as she watched her boyfriend. Feeling the sensation of eyes on him, Dave peaked over at her, frowning when he saw her expression. "What's wrong?"

Cassie stood quiet for a moment before walking towards him. Dave sat up, giving her space to sit down next to him which he took graciously. "Are you sure you're alright?" she finally asked, placing her hands in her lap as she avoided his gaze.

As he looked at Dave he could see that she was genuinely concerned. Cassie has always been a headstrong girl since the moment she showed up with them in the middle of an invasion of Earth. Yet she also showed the most emotion when it came to her family and friends. Tucking a stand of blonde hair behind her ear, Dave turned her so her eyes met his. "Look, I'm here" he said smiling softly and taking one of her hands in his. "I'm okay, and I'm not going anywhere." A moment passed as her eyes searched his before she finally nodded, giving a small smile as well.

"Alright guys, good news" Dick stated as he came out from a pile of objects, his hand holding his communicator. "Apparently Lex is more terrifying than the Justice League. That teleporter guy, he was willing to do whatever we said as long as we kept him out of Luthor's reach."

"Wow" replied the young hero, his eyebrows raised. "So what'd they do?"

"Uhh, according to Bruce they're moving him to some secluded lead facility. Apparently your dad said lead works against teleporters that got their power through kryptonite. Which they think is his case" Dick explained before tossing his communicator down. "So fingers crossed that's the end of that."

There was a silence over the loft as they all exchanged glances knowing full well that it wasn't going to be the end of that. Anyone who knew Lex Luthor knew he wasn't just going to let it end like that but hopefully they had at least bought themselves a grace period. Another moment of silence hung over the room before it was broken.

"Anyone up for ice cream?"

* * *

Metallic boots echoed off the marble floor as a towering figure moved about his throne room. His patience was starting to wear thin, but if everything went according to plan the wait would only make revenge that much sweeter. The hiss and slide of the front doors caused him to stop and twist his head in the direction of a small soldier.

"My Lord," the man bent to one knee until a grunt gave him permission to speak further. "We have been conducting experiments on the device non-stop as you requested." The towering being raised an eyebrow, inquiring the man to continue. It was here the soldier began to lose his composure, "S-so far, we have been unsuccessful."

"You of all people should know I do not tolerate failure" there was no questioning or threat in his tone, it was mere fact.

"Y-yes, of course my Lord!" the man quickly bowed his head again before offering a solution. "If we could somehow get the original device…our problem could be solved."

"Yes, if only it were that easy. Why haven't I thought of this myself" the king mused, before frowning and staring the man down. A sign that he better start explaining himself or he'd be meeting the underside of a royal boot soon enough.

The man trembled slightly, keeping his head down as he spoke. If he lifted his gaze to meet his master's he just might be petrified into silence. "Well, my Lord, we have been working on something else. A substance that lets you take on the form of another. I-If we could s-somehow get the DNA of a someone close to the Kryptonian, we could take on their form and apprehend the device without them raising alarm."

A papable silence filled the room as the grotesque figure thought over what he had been told. What the soldier proposed was simply a drummed down version of what they would have to do in order to infiltrate the Kryptonian's security. However at this rate it could prove easier than leaving these brain dead scientist to develop their own device.

"See that it is done" he finally spoke. "You will have all the resources at your disposal. And I will warn you only once. Fail me, and your children's children will feel my wrath."

* * *

"What did your dad ever do to piss off a guy like Lex Luthor in the first place?" Dick questioned before stuffing his face with a spoonful of chocolate sundae.

The three teenagers had in fact gone to the ice cream shop in Smallville with Kyle meeting them there. Any civilian walking by would assume that they were simply four normal kids enjoying the remaining few days of summer. Unsuspecting of the ordeals they had been through.

Dave paused for a moment to swallow his mouthful of ice cream before responding with a shrug, "I'm not sure. He never talks about it, and I never really asked. Whatever it is though, apparently it's carried over to me." The last words were spoken a bit bitterly as his spoon jabbed at the dessert before him.

"It's not your dad's fault that Lex is a murdering psychopath moonlighting as a billionaire" Cassie pointed out. The expression on her boyfriend's face was easy enough to read and she couldn't exactly blame him. Today's events had shaken them all, even if she was the only one that showed it.

"I guess. I mean if I had listened to him from the beginning and just lived a normal teenage life here I wouldn't have been targeted in the first place."

"Impossible. Trouble seems to find us no matter where we go. And with your DNA, it's practically impossible for you to turn your back on a cry for help" Kyle chimed in, trying to take some of the load off that Dave was putting on his own shoulders.

A sour grunt came from the young Kent as he lazily poked at his ice cream."Yeah, my DNA. It always seems to come back to that. Because of my DNA I almost died today. Thanks Dad!"

The three friends exchanged glances before all eyes returned to the Kryptonian. Whatever pleasant, 'celebrate life' mood they had before was clearly drained from the room and all that was left was a tense atmosphere. Neither of them were sure how to proceed because honestly, none of them could sympathize with his situation, except perhaps Kyle. But even he didn't have his father's enemies hunting him down.

"Dave…" Cassie started, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder only for it to be shrugged off.

It was clear that his resolve was set as Dave shook his head. "None of this would have ever started if I wasn't out in the middle of the night trying to save some blonde in Metropolis. So I'm done." The three words rang out across the table and no one seemed sure how to comprehend them.

"Done?" repeated Kyle, who only got a nod in return.

"You're kidding right?" came Dick's voice. "You really think you can stop just like that? You have a gift for a reason." Maybe it was because he had known him since they were kids or it was the simple fact that he was Batman's protégé. And just as Batman wasn't afraid to challenge Superman, nor was Dick afraid to call out his best friend.

"See that's where you're wrong. I wasn't given these gifts by some miracle with a higher destiny in plan. I was given them because I happen to be the son of Clark Kent. Last time I checked that didn't oblige me to save the world" Dave retorted, his brow furrowing in anger, while Kyle and Cassandra exchanged looks.

"Well you're wrong. With those powers comes a duty, whether you want it or not!" the acrobatic hero replied, causing a few heads to turn their way. "You have a brush with death and suddenly you want to punk out? I face worse in Gotham everyday and I'm not invincible!"

"Hey, you guys are gonna have to take this outside. Scaring off the customers" the voice of the owner came from the behind the counter.

"I was leaving anyway" Dave said as he stood, glaring at his best friend the entire time. "Don't call me for backup."

With that the teenager formerly known as Superboy stormed out of the ice cream parlor. Cassie made an attempt to follow him but Kyle grabbed her arm to stop her. "Let him go, he needs to figure some things out."

"He needs to get the stick out of his ass" muttered Robin as he ate another bite from his sundae.

This was enough for Cassie to turn on him with a venomous glare, "Dave's been through a lot today. He didn't need you turning on him as well!"

Alarmed, Dick put his hands up in innocence, "It's not my fault. I was just speaking the truth."

Cassie held her evil eye stare for a few more moments before relenting and sliding into her seat. Her battle wasn't with Dick and the last thing they needed was for them to turn on each other even more. She just didn't get it, everything seemed fine in the loft. Dave even reassured her that everything was okay when she broke down. And then…this outbreak happens. "I just don't know where this came from" she said, voicing her concern.

"Maybe the adrenaline was still running earlier and he didn't realize the gravity of the situation…once it finally set it he had a breakdown" offered Kyle, placing a comforting hand on her back. "I mean let's be honest, aside from Darkseid he's never had such a close call with death. It takes its toll on a person" At this he turned his gaze to Dick who had to acknowledge that he was right. Hell it was the reason that Batman and he did what they did. Although it had been more than a few years since his parent's death, he could still draw on the emotion that had fueled him at the time.

Death could strengthen you or it could weaken you. Unfortunately it seemed to be doing latter to Dave.

"Well…just let him fly it off, he'll get it together" Dick said dismissively as he pulled out his wallet to pay for his food. Despite his demeanor it was mostly because of the mini-blow up he just had with the man in question. He was still worried about his friend, especially after all they had been through. But Kyle was right, what Dave went through today was a scare like he hadn't experienced before. The Boy Wonder could only hope that he did in fact bounce back from it.

* * *

**A/N:** woot! i've had this re-written chapter on my computer for ages and I finally had the muse to finish it up. as i hinted at above the story is going in a bit of a new direction. being more a tale of self-discovery, which it was supposed to be, rather than freak of the week type. of course there is still the overarching plot that will conclude for the finale but i really wanted to make it more of an intimate story so hopefully i'll be able to accomplish that :)


	6. STORY UPDATE!

Hi Everyone!  
As most of you i'm currently on winter break and realizing i owe a lot of story updates. Specific to Son of Superman 2 i have been getting muse recently. I won't make any promises since those never really work out but if you're a follower still be on the look out soon just in case!

Just a preview of what i'm thinking for the next chapter:

**An appearance from Kara?**

**David finds himself in the dark corners of Metropolis.**

As you see it's not perfect xD I'm thinking of making some changes to the supporting characters but i'm not sure so feedback would be great! I'm really liking the new 52 (if you follow the comics) and might change Cassie a bit to fit that version of Wonder Girl. I was also thinking of going from Dick Grayson to Tim Drake? I'm less sure on this one than the Wonder Girl change mostly from sheer lazyness xD

To my lone reviewer for the last chapter, if that's Jan of course I remember you! it was actually the old RP on Ksite that gave me muse lol! Hope everything is well on your end! (if the guest wasn't Jan, i apologize! xD)

Anyway i'm hoping the muse will stay and a chapter will pop out soon! Until then, Happy Holidays!


	7. Curious

David had never been to this part of Metropolis. In fact he hadn't been to a lot of places in Metropolis. When he was sent to the farm he was just a young teenager, beginning his exploration. The only areas he had witnessed were parent approved. Sure he had been through the downtown district with Cassie but this was a much darker side. Similar to the dark alleys downtown where thieves prowled waiting for the next purse to snatch.

He kept his head down, hands in his pocket as he walked forward. The red and blue scheme had been abandoned and he was grateful for doing so. A black hood fit in much better in this neighborhood. He didn't have to use x-ray vision on the group of men sitting on the front steps of a house to know they were carrying weapons.

"Whatcha got, boy?" one of the thugs called out to him as he walked past. Mentally David cursed; he kept his eyes down in hopes of avoiding this kind of event. Deciding to keep his mouth shut, David merely continued walking down the street. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"

Clearly annoyed by the treatment, or rather non-treatment he was getting the thug got up from the stairs and started to shadow the young man. "What you think yous too good to talk to us?!" he demanded, getting more frustrated the longer he was ignored. Pulling out a knife from his waistband, he drew closer to David. "We'll see how good you are when you're lying on the street and bleeding out!"

The knife came down on David's back, cutting a hole in his jacket but as soon as it made contact with his skin the steel blade shattered. The thug stumbled backwards, holding the handle and what was left of the knife in his hand. "Wh-what the hell!?"

His friends could only watch in horror as the boy simply shrugged off the pieces of steel that had landed on him and kept walking. Sure he could have pounded the thug but what good would that have down him? Beating up thugs did nothing, just look at Gotham. DIck and Bruce spent their livelihoods trying to clean up the streets and it still had one of the worst crime rates in the nation.

As he walked along, David's head shot up when he heard the blaring of a car alarm. Instantly his gaze zeroed in two teenagers working on jimmying a car door open. He started to step a foot in their direction before stopping himself. 'Saving the day was what got you in trouble in the first place Kent' his inner voice spoke. For a moment he just remained frozen, thinking of what his next move should be. When the screech of tires sounded and the car shot down the street, he knew he had made his choice.

Then he said what no parent wants their teenager to say. "I need a drink."

When he arrived at the club he had a few things going against him. For one he was the age limit for drinking, not to mention he didn't have any fake id or the means to get one. Luckily this area provided him with some of the more shady bars. Ones that didn't ask questions once you threw someone a block away.

Choosing a bar seemed like a double edged sword. He could get a drink, but there was more than likely some drunk who either wanted to tell their life story or start a fight. If he was lucky, David would get neither.

Not knowing what to order when he took a seat on the bar stool he merely glanced at the bartender. "I'll take a beer" he said and almost immediately regretted it. How could adults drink that stuff?

Beer a waste and nothing left to do Dave merely sat at the bar, every now and then looking at the TV to see the score of the baseball game. For the most part though he let his thoughts roam, often going back to his last moments in Smallville. Perhaps he had been a bit rash with his friends; after all they weren't the cause of his disenchantment with the hero lifestyle. They only ever tried to help him. And when he thought of Cassie, god Cassie. He had just finished telling her he wasn't going anywhere just to bail on her again. Part of him hoped that she never spoke to him again, she deserved better.

"Ain't you a little young to be in here kid?" the voice broke Dave from his thoughts and he turned to his left to see a middle-aged man had taken the seat next to him. Before the kryptonian could muster an excuse the man waved him off with a toothy grin. "I'm just yanking your chain. I snuck into my share of bars when I was your age too. A lot easier back then."

Dave was silently, partly because he had nothing to say, partly because he had nothing to say. The man looked him over before frowning and reaching into his pocket. "You're looking a little down on your luck, kid. Here have one of these, on the house." The man placed a red tablet, the size of an aspirin on the table. Dave's eyes were instantly drawn to it. He had little to no knowledge about drugs but this did seem curious to say the least.

"Thanks but I don't do drugs-" he trailed off when he saw that the man who had been sitting neck to him had left the bar. 'Very curious'. Deciding it couldn't hurt to carry it around; Dave shoved the small aspirin in his pocket and left the bar. 'At least mom would be happy to know I hated my first bar experience' he thought. Looking on the brightside for the first time that day.

* * *

"NOO!"

Cassie shot up in bed, her body covered in a cold sweat, her chest heaving as she let out heavy breathes. Once she realized she was just in her room she looked down at her body, seeing that she was clad in her pajamas and not the armor she did battle in.

"Was it just a dream" she wondered out loud but even in her current state she knew the answer to that.

She tried to remember the images that she had seen but could only recall blurs. The most prominent thing she could recall, and something she feared would not be going away anytime soon, was the voice.

It had been a long time since she had heard it, or at least since she acknowledged it. The fact that it had seeped through to her sub-conscious terrified her and she could only wonder how long it would take it to reach the forefront of her mind 'No' she thought determinedly. 'I've beaten you back before, I can handle you now.'

She could practically hear the voice laughing at her claim because she knew the fact herself. Alone, she could only handle the armor for so long. She relied on her friends heavily for their support and strength. Now when she needed him the most one of her rocks had flew the coup.

"David you better get your ass back in shape" Cassie muttered as she glared out her window. "...I don't know how long I can do this."

* * *

His attempt at using alcohol as a solution having failed, David found himself sitting atop the shiny Daily Planet globe. It seemed like a cliché spot to be but he figured that was mostly for heroes that could fly. Hardly anyone actually_ ran_ up there. Which made it seem like an ideal position to be in.

There was always the chance that his dad could fly by or that his mom and dad would have one of their secret Lois and Superman rooftop moments so for that reason he merely kept his eyes pinned to the sky. No child wanted to be witness to that. Reaching into his pocket he raised the red tablet to eyes.

"Now if your dad was here he might give you a talking to" a strangely familiar voice came from behind him. Turning around quickly, he saw his cousin Kara floating in her scandalous Supergirl outfit as always. "Don't worry little cousin, you're secret is safe with me."

"I don't do drugs" he repeated, an annoyed tone to his voice. He immediately felt a bit guilty seeing as Kara hadn't done anything wrong and this was his first time seeing her in some time. "I don't even know what it is."

"Well there's only one way to find out" she said with a suggestive wink. Dave wasn't completely shocked as he heard some stories of the trouble Kara had caused when she first arrived on Earth.

"I'll keep that in mind" he grinned, shoving it back in his pocket. "What are you doing in Metropolis?"

"Just patrol" she said simply, floating down to sit next to Dave. "What brings you up here at..." she paused looking across town at the Watchtower, "1 am."

"Does running away from my problems sound too childish?" he mused with a wry smile as he looked over at her. She merely responded with a knowing smile, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Of course not. Though I say running away from your problems does not solve anything. It's in the Justice League handbook or something" she said, waving her hand dismissively.

"Well fuck the Justice League" Dave said before realizing it had come out.

Kara gave him a surprised look. She wasn't judgmental by any stretch but she was extremely curious. "Now I need details" when Dave merely looked away and said nothing, Kara gently floated to the other side where he was staring. "I'll just take a wild guess and say it has to do with that Luthor thing Kal-El mentioned?"

Dave scoffed at her wording before nodding. Had his dad really called it a Luthor thing? "How much do you know?"

"Not much, just that Luthor almost found out who you were-" "-And tried to kill me." "-AND tried to kill you. Would you let me finish!"

David couldn't help but laugh. Sometimes he forgot how much Kara helped him out. They weren't separated by that many years and she experienced much of the same hardships under Clark as his young adult cousin that Dave was having as his teenage son. Suddenly he felt a pang of disappointment wishing they could spend more quality time like this.

"You should come around more often" he said, voicing his thoughts.

Kara smiled sweetly, wrapping one arm around him. "I really should. I also heard you have a girlfriend now."

A brief smile appeared on his face as he thought of Cassie before remembering that should was probably going to castrate him and then dump him whenever he returned. "Had is probably a better term. But yeah...Cassie Sandsmark, an archaeologist's daughter."

"We know what a great place Smallville is for archaeology Kara grinned before seeing the look her cousin was giving her. "Don't worry; I know she's one of us. That Doomsday thing was televised remember."

"Yeah I had to save the lead reporter from death" Dave recalled as he thought back to when he had to save his mom during the battle.

"Lois Lane, ace reporter" Kara laughed, causing Dave to join in. The laughter slowly subsided when the sounds of sirens reached their super powered ears. "Well, I guess that's my cue. Care to join me?"

"Nah, I'm done with the whole saving people stuff" Dave mused, realizing for a moment how selfish he sounded.

For a moment he feared he was going to receive a lecture similar to what Dick had given him but instead his older cousin merely smiled. "Alright, just know you don't have to wait for me to come around to talk. Call me whenever you like" she paused then continued, "And Dave, find what you want to do. Whether it's saving the world or stock exchange. I made the mistake of trying to copy Clark too and it took me a while to find my own footing." She stood up to fly off but stopped once more, "And don't do drugs."

David couldn't help but laugh as he looked down at the aspirin in his hand before back to Kara. "Don't worry, I won't." he stood up and gave her a warm hug then watched as she raced off to chase the sirens in the night. It surprised him that instead of feeling the urge to follow her, he merely felt content. He was fine with letting her go off and be the hero while he went and got some sleep.

Curious.

* * *

"Cassie, are you sure you're up for this?" Kyle's concerned voice reached Wonder Girl as they flew through the sky. The blonde haired girl didn't look over at her friend, merely keeping her eyes focused straight ahead. The armor was making her weary, an irony in a way, and she hardly wanted to discuss the topic now. Unfortunately Kyle was a good friend...or just persistent.

"I mean Dave has a point, we don't have to do this. And you definitely don't have too many attachments in Smallville..."

"I'm staying alright, Kyle?! This is what I want to do. Now let's go take care of the meteor freak and be done with it" Cassie snapped, her brow furrowing in frustration.

Knowing better than to argue with that, Kyle merely shrugged, "Alright, alright." For a while the only noise between them was the wind as they flew by until Kyle gathered the courage to speak again. "Assuming Dave is just leaving the saving stuff behind and returns to Smallville…is it going to be awkward or what?"

Cassie was silent for a moment as she thought, her eyes focused straight ahead. Honestly she didn't know how she'd react when the kryptonian returned but she'd like to think she was more mature about things than he had been.

"I have no reason to make it awkward. We aren't even broken up…technically" she added, her gaze flicking down for a moment.

"Awkwarrrrd" Kyle said until he received another threatening glare from Cassie.

"**Shut up**, Kyle."

* * *

A/N: so this may feel like a filler chapter, and i guess to a degree it is but I also liked some aspects of it. eventually the red pill will come into play to cause some trouble and in the next chapter David returns to Smallville and receives mixed reactions. A lot is still in development but i hope you guys liked this chapter. I did decide to go with a bit of the new52 Cassie Sandsmark, but i think i'll keep the rest the same. Also, Kara reappearance! i'm rewatching season 7 so i had to include her somewhere. might ad an appearance from Batgirl as well? we'll see what the muse kicks out!Not to mention Darkseid and Luthor's seperate schemes continue. until next time (:


End file.
